Newborns are remarkable. I’ve spent over twenty years photographing them, and I still find the science of what they can do and how they experience the world genuinely fascinating. Here are five facts that always go down well when I share them with parents in the studio.
The Heaviest Baby Ever Recorded Weighed 10.2kg
Most newborns arrive somewhere between 2.5kg and 4.5kg, which already feels like a lot when you’re the one doing the carrying. But the heaviest baby ever recorded weighed 10.2kg (that’s 22lb 8oz) and was 86cm long. He was born in Italy in 1955 and was reportedly healthy. I’ll leave you to imagine how that particular birth went.
Babies Have More Taste Buds Than Adults
Newborns don’t just have taste buds on their tongue. They also have them on their tonsils and the roof of their mouth. In fact, babies arrive with more taste buds than adults have, which fades as they get older. It’s one of the reasons they can be so particular, and why they respond so strongly to sweet tastes in particular.
Baby Recognises Your Accent Before They’re Even Born
This one never fails to delight parents. Research shows that babies start picking up language patterns while they’re still in the womb. By the time they arrive, they already recognise the rhythms, sounds, and patterns of the language they’ve been listening to for months. They know your voice. They know how you speak. They’ve been listening the whole time.
Newborns See in Black, White, and Grey First
A newborn’s colour vision is very limited to begin with. They see mostly in black, white, and shades of grey, and red is the first proper colour to come through as their vision develops. It’s the reason high-contrast black and white toys and books are so effective at grabbing their attention in those early weeks.
We’re Only Born With Two Fears
Just two fears come built in: falling, and loud noises. Both are responses to things that would genuinely be dangerous. Everything else we come to be afraid of, spiders, the dark, heights, social situations, is learned. Which is a surprisingly hopeful thought, when you look at it that way.
Newborns are quietly extraordinary. And that’s part of why I love photographing them so much. Every single one is brand new to the world, and yet they arrive already so capable.
